United States of America. The Food and Drug Administration is requiring new paediatric information on the labelling of all orally inhaled and intranasal corticosteroids. The new labelling will alert health care providers that using these drugs in children may reduce their rate of growth. The labelling will also recommend using the lowest effective dose of these drugs and routinely monitoring patients’ growth rates. Inhaled corticosteroids are used to treat asthma. Intranasal corticosteroids are generally used to prevent and treat allergy-related nasal symptoms.

Patients are advised not to stop using their inhaled or intranasal corticosteroids without first consulting their health care providers about the benefits of these drugs compared to their risks. Manufacturers will continue to monitor these drugs to ascertain long-term effects.

Reference: FDA Talk Paper T98-79 dated 9 November 1998. [http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics]